I have started this blog mainly for the upcoming cruise, but have found it to be a fun thing. We have been very fortunate to be able to travel to many places, but would like to feel like friends and family are experiencing it with us. Hopefully, this will give you a chance to see as we go, so you don't have to get bored with all of our photos when we get home!!!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

What Is Important

I have always loved the quote by President Harold B. Lee: "The most important work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes."

Yet I know that "work" does not end when those children are no longer within the walls of the home because they have grown up and left home. My love, concern, and hopes for them continue FOREVER. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to stay connected through phone conversations, texting, facebook, e-mail, skype, with my children/grandchildren.

As I was reading this last month's Ensign, I was so touched by the article "God Sends Us to Earth As A Member of A Family". I loved the last paragraph: "As family members give encouragement and praise to one another, feelings of confidence and love grow. Successful families show hope and persistence in sustaining each family member in individual needs and in helping each other learn and work together in love. Their goal is to become a joyful, eternal family unit."

We have a family website and that is part of the reason it is important to me. I love to see the interaction on it--when they give encouragement to one another it makes me feel so good.

Just the other night we had a chance to iChat with Neal because we had a couple of questions regarding Allan's iPad and Neal is our go-to guy ; ) It also gave Neal's family a chance to wish Allan a happy birthday--they had called on Allan's birthday, but this way they were able to do it "face to face". As well, we got to chat with Garrett which is always a treat. He is such a cute little guy--so very smart and so fun to talk with. And, of course, we got to see how much little Lauren has grown up. I agree with Macy, she is growing up way too fast.

We are heading out to Indiana to visit a couple of Allan's daughters. It will be wonderful to spend time with them and to have a chance to see a couple of our grandchildren and even our great grandson--it seems like it has been forever since we last saw them. It will be a great trip.

And then in less than two weeks we head to Switzerland and will have a chance to spend time with our granddaughter, Amanda, and her husband, Darren. I am so excited. While we are there, Amanda will have a birthday. We'll have to plan something really fun for that day.

I am very happy because this means we have visited almost all of our children/grandchildren this past year. Unfortunately, we haven't seen Chris and Heather and that makes me VERY SAD. I think I missed them by a few hours when I flew to Austin to help when Lauren was born ; (

Just recently I was re-reading a General Conference talk by Elder M. Russell Ballard where he quoted President Joseph F. Smith: “Our [family] associations are not exclusively intended for this life, for time, as we distinguish it from eternity. We live for time and for eternity. We form associations and relations for time and all eternity. … Who are there besides the Latter-day Saints who contemplate the thought that beyond the grave we will continue in the family organization? the father, the mother, the children recognizing each other … ? this family organization being a unit in the great and perfect organization of God’s work, and all destined to continue throughout time and eternity?”

I'm so grateful to know that our family is forever. I take to heart President Monson's counsel to "express (my) love to (my) children". Some seem to have a hard time hearing those words--I don't know why. I never want to be one of those people who says, "They know I love them, I don't need to tell them" and, in fact, I will continue until I breathe my last breath telling them I love them BECAUSE I DO.

I am soooooooooooo BEYOND grateful for YOU mom!!! You are an INCREDIBLE mother and dearest friend and I LOVE YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH and will NEVER stop telling you that;) THANK YOU for all you do--I am sooooooo grateful we are sealed forever:)

Amen! Love your quotes and your thoughts. It's wonderful that you're able to visit your family even though they're scattered all over the world! You're a good Mom/Grandma/Wife/Friend. I hope you have a wonderful trip to Indiana. Good luck in your half marathon!

Beautiful post! I have been reading that issue of the Ensign and I loved that talk. It is a wonderful feeling to be part of an eternal family - it really helps to put what is important in life into perspective :-D

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Welcome to my blog. The main reason I created this blog was to record trips so that family and friends could see where we were. It has become much more. I love making memories and sharing them with others.

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MY GOAL

"Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." --Ephesians 4:31-32